Twins' mother gives evidence in Kahui case

JOHN SELKIRK/Dominion Post

BACK IN COURT: Chris Kahui arives at Manukau District Court with his lawyer Lorraine Smith for a depositions hearing that will determine if he will be charged with the murder of his twin sons.

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Ms King told the court that on the day the twins were allegedly injured she had gone to her sister Emily's place because she needed a break.

Kahui had objected to her leaving, saying that he was tired from visiting his "critically sick" mother in hospital.

"He [Kahui] felt [that] all I wanted to do was run away and get on the piss and stuff," King said.

King said she had fed, changed and possibly bathed the babies before she left and in the end Kahui was OK with her decision to go visit her sister.

Having checked her statement to police, Ms King recalled she later left her sister's place and went with her son Shane to Kahui's father's house.

She fell asleep in the lounge but was awoken some time later by Kahui's arrival, she said.

"He was pretty angry," Ms King said.

"He told me to get my arse out of there and get home and look after the kids."

After about half an hour of "yelling and swearing" Kahui slammed the door and walked out.

She went back to sleep but woke again because Shane was "chesty" and took him to Middlemore Hospital.

They left the hospital about 9am and went back to their house, where she checked on her sleeping twins.

"They seemed OK to me, they looked all right."

Ms King broke down in tears at that point and the hearing was adjourned till tomorrow morning.

Earlier the court heard that Chris Kahui told police his one-year-old son was responsible for causing the injuries to his twin three-month-old sons, which were equivalent to that of a high velocity car crash.

Crown prosecutor Simon Moore made the comments in his opening statement at the depositions hearing in Manukau District Court to decide whether Kahui, 22, will stand trial for the murder of his twin sons.

The hearing began after Judge Roy Wade gave a strict warning to media on their responsibility to ensure fair and accurate reporting of the hearing.

The warning came after a Sunday newspaper printed an article on Chris Kahui yesterday, which had "untested and speculative" information.

Judge Wade said the court had strong powers to deal with media who were in contempt of court.

Defence co-counsel Michele Wilkinson-Smith asked that in the wake of prejudicial media reporting, all evidence from the hearing be suppressed.

Mr Moore read a letter from the Solicitor-General in which he said he had "grave concerns" about the media coverage ahead of the hearing.

Chris and Cru Kahui died in hospital five days after they were admitted. They were killed either by a blow to their heads or by having their heads bashed against a solid object.

Their father Chris Kahui was charged with their murder four months after they died and after police accused the family of "stonewalling" the inquiry.

The twins died in Starship Children's Hospital in Auckland in June last year.

Scans taken when they were first admitted to Middlemore Hospital showed both suffered from extensive brain injuries and that Chris also had a broken leg.

Both babies suffered from extensive subdural bleeding and broken ribs.

Mr Moore said the injuries were of the kind received in high velocity car crashes.

He told the court the babies received their injuries while in the care of their father on June 12, 2006, when their mother Macsyne King was out visiting her sister.

Mr Moore said the babies were born nine weeks premature and their injuries would have occurred when they were one-week-old, if they had been delivered at full-term.

Middlemore Hospital's clinical leader Dr Lyndsay Milden Hall said nursing staff were concerned by the lack of attendance by both parents after the babies were born, especially that of the mother.

"It's unusual to have a family so removed from the day-to-day care of [their] babies," Dr Dr Milden Hall said.

Under cross examination he said he was aware staff had discussed the possibility of bringing in a social worker because of the mother's absence, however, he was not aware "the concept of abandonment" had been raised.

Kahui gave three extensive interviews to police where he said his eldest son Shane was responsible for the injuries, by "whacking" them before retracting the allegation in the third interview, Mr Moore said.

- NZPA and Fairfax Media

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